The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday replaced its candidate Ashok Lahiri , the former chief economic advisor to the central government, f...
The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday replaced its candidate Ashok Lahiri, the former chief economic advisor to the central government, from the Alipurduar seat in north Bengal after district party workers held a protest against his candidature, reported NDTV. Lahiri was replaced by Suman Kanjilal in the list of candidates for the fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth phases of the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The local party leaders said they considered Lahiri an “outsider”. Unidentified officials said that the economist was expected to be named in the later list of candidates fielded by the BJP. The party is yet to announce candidates for five seats – Darjeeling, Balurghat, Rashbehari, Kurseong and Kalimpong.
Unidentified officials told NDTV that Lahiri was removed from the Alipurduar seat as there was a conflict of caste interests. He will most likely be fielded from Balurghat in the South Dinajpur district.
“I have no comments to make, the party should answer,” Lahiri told ThePrint.
The BJP had publicised Lahiri’s candidature as it has been fielding eminent citizens and known urban Bengali faces. So far, it has fielded several artistes, a scientist and five MPs, one of them being Union minister Babul Supriyo.
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